Dr. Bukola Saraki, Senate President, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the release of social critic, Mr. Deji Adeyanju.
Dr. Saraki says his continuous detention constitutes an abuse on his fundamental human rights, submitting that the case is more political than judicial.
The senate president in a statement on Monday, December 24, signed by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu noted that the Adeyanju case is presenting the present administration in bad light as a government that is intolerant of criticism and suppressing views of the opposition.
He stated that a situation where Adeyanju was arrested after leading a protest in Abuja and sundry charges were filed against him while he was re-arrested after being given bail by a court indicated a deliberate attempt to get him out of circulation.
The Senate President said the reports on the Adeyanju case were giving the present administration a bad name and indicating that dictatorial tendencies are becoming rife in a democratic country.
“The way the matter has been handled and the last decision of the Magistrate Court to remand the young man in prison till after the conclusion of the 2019 Polls has presented our democracy in bad light. We are now looking like a country that has receded to the period of military rule.
“The President needs to intervene to find out whether the current travail of Deji Adeyanju has anything to do with his frequently expressed viewpoints against the Federal Government and why his arrest after leading a protest has now ignited all the various charges being filed against him and if it was true that the charges for which he has been remanded in prison till February had actually being adjudicated upon by the High Court,” he said.
The former governor wondered how the All Progressive Congress (APC), who while in the opposition, had enjoyed a ruling party that accomodated dissenting views, but is now cramping down on critics.
“It should be noted that prior to the coming to office of this government, those of us in opposition, the APC, freely criticized the Goodluck Jonathan government and flayed their actions and statements without any attempt by the administration to stifle opposing views. This administration which benefited from such open marketplace of ideas, which is a key tenet of a democratic regime, cannot offer anything less to our people.
“At this point, President Buhari should not allow the excesses and over-zealousness of some security agents to give his government a bad name and that is why I think he should interfere and let the world know the truth about this case.
